Feature article

Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris

Morocco was probably among the best countries to have been able to observe this species with the last acceptable records being submitted in February 1998. Unconfirmed reports, subsequent to 1998, refer to the area Merja Zerga and whilst probable, these records have not been officially accepted. During the later part of 2008 Birdlife International, and other notable organisations, launched an appeal for all birdwatchers to search for Slender-billed Curlews. It seems to us to be very appropriate that we lead our launch of Moroccan Birds with the main feature focusing on this incredibly rare bird.

One Bird at a Time - The Sahara

Our most recent tour to Morocco’s Deep South was something different and special. Quite apart from the wildlife, we also concentrated on the Spanish Nature initiative of helping children understand their nature and also visiting a women’s cooperative to handout our goodies! We have been working in association with the Audubon Society and the Andalucia Bird Society to develop an education programme that focuses on birds, we have called it ‘A Bird a Week’, it is placed-based learning that encourages children to gain knowledge of the local environment, thus empowering them to take an active role and interest in protecting it. We were able to produce, distribute and explain our new field guide to various schools and their teachers, a total of over 2,000 field guides were given to these educational establishments! Of course we managed some birding too, with several species successfully targeted including Desert Sparrow and both Lanner and Barbary Falcon, to name just a few.

Peter Jones writes: I have been to and written about Morocco so many times and yet it never fails to leave me with impressions of wonder, not least of vast empty tranquil spaces where it is possible to be completely immersed in nature, like a grain of sand is to a desert so but am I in life! Such a grand landscape is presented with perspectives beyond words, from the towering High Atlas Mountains to endless rolling dunes of the Sahara, from Palm lined valleys to multi-coloured striated flat topped mountains; it is a place of unimaginable beauty. The country also has an added attraction and great bonus for me acting as it does as a bridge between the more southerly regions of Africa and Europe for migratory birds. Little wonder I am constantly drawn by the calling of this exotic place and also its people.

Certainly I have been lucky, not to mention privileged, leading many tours of inquisitive nature lovers to the deserts, mountains and cultural centres of this western outpost in North Africa. It has been during the course of these visits that both Spanish Nature, a tour operator with a real difference, and I have become acquainted with various communities of native Berbers and country dwelling folk. Their existence is often one of pure subsistence, days full of barter, tending of livestock and crops. What little money there is comes from sons and daughters working in other parts of the world, where they can find gainful employment and money enough to send home to their families.

My own qualifications do not lead me to assume or advise on how best economic problems for this region can be solved. Deep in the south of Morocco life is lived on the edge, between a rock and a very hard place, when the rains come in sufficient quantities there can be times of plenty but, as often is the case, existence is a struggle, there is little or no employment and people make do the best they can. What I and Spanish Nature decided to do was work to our strengths and offer what little help we could. Together with partners such as Audubon Society New York and the Andalucia Bird Society, we have embarked on an education programme to promote nature within local schools, help provide services for women’s cooperatives and generally give assistance by whatever means are at our disposal.

It is an opportunity for us to put something back into an area that gives us so much in terms of pleasure and enjoyment of a natural world full of discovery and beauty. Before the joy of witnessing the smile and laughter of the local children, my time here in the deserts had been fulfilled by finding such treasures as Desert Sparrow, but now my visits are full of rewards and wonderful experiences working with children and empowering local women’s enterprise. If my many visits for witnessing the wonderful diversity of avian delights had been worthwhile, now we have so much more to look forward to whenever we travel the palm fringed valleys into the furthest reaches of the Sahara region. Now I am not only greeted by Brown-necked Raven, Cream-coloured Courser and Hoopoe Lark, but by the beaming faces of children portraying such friendly welcomes.

For our most recent visit to the ‘Deep South’ we prepared a field guide to 52 species of birds found in Morocco. The guide was illustrated with photographs naming and describing the birds in both French and Arabic. It was an essential and integral part of an education project we had named ‘A Bird a Week’ for introducing into various schools in the Sahara region. We were also able to supply crayon sets, together with bird colouring sheets, outline drawings prepared by my co-conspirator Barbara Vagliano, and, along with other items, these were freely distributed among the schools i.e. some 2,000 field guides! As part of the process we held meetings with school teachers and were able to discuss how best the programme is introduced to the children and also get their most valuable input on the progress being made so far. Each teacher was presented with a specially compiled teacher’s pack, which explained the programme and how to interpret all the facts for each bird described in the field guide.

The education programme focuses on local birds and local habitats; it is place-based learning and encourages a sense of pride in one’s own community. Gaining knowledge of the local environment empowers students to take an active interest in protecting it. Our involvement with women’s cooperatives and associations is all about improving the quality of life of marginalised women and children. The cooperatives and associations, to some extent, also take an active role in education, either for the hard of learning or general education, in these cases we are of course also including them in the ‘A Bird a Week’ programme. However, more practical help for such things as donations for electricity supplies, stationary and clothing is most beneficial. Two of our recent tour party made the magnificent gesture of giving sufficient money to pay for electricity connections to the association in Mhamid, thereby allowing women to operate sewing machines for the manufacture of clothing and items for resale. A really big thank you to Norman Cook and of course Barbara!

Of course our work here has only just begun and another joyous aspect is both the willingness and wonderfully generous contributions made to this work by our travelling companions, more friends than customers. Several have donated binoculars, to help children observe their birds, telescopes, which we have donated to local guides, clothes, pencil sets, crayons, notepads and also money! So many have been and witnessed the programme firsthand, others have given just from a generous spirit and a kindness we have come to so much appreciate. For me the project is meaningful, helpful and so very rewarding. I am proud to be working with Spanish Nature, a company not paying lip service to responsible tourism, but actually becoming involved with putting something back into those local economies and communities we visit. Thank you one and all for your incredible support.

If you want to help our efforts with our education project, plus helping marginalised women and children in Morocco, or fancy accompanying me on one of my many journeys to this exotic destination, please see the links below. I have also included a link to the Responsible Tourism page of Spanish Nature; here you can read the policy and strategy of this tour company for nature lovers. The whole experience of projects like this help very much to demonstrate the company’s description is more than just a play on words ‘Travelling Together as Friends’…..

Do you consider a friendly atmosphere, comfort and relaxation, as well as value for money, an essential part of any well earned holiday? If you do, then all our bird watching adventures have been specifically designed to suit you!

If you require further information please Contact Us or telephone: +34 616 891 359

Why not give yourself a real treat and join us at Moroccan Birds for your next nature holiday?

A brief introduction

Moroccan Birds has been created by Spanish Nature. We have created this special web site for Moroccan Birds because this destination, for birding, is still not getting the attention it deserves. Spanish Nature are doing birding tours in Morocco, both in spring and autumn, covering the desert and coastal areas. Where possible we are employing local guides, but always under the supervision of one of our senior-guides, thus guaranteeing the high quality for which Spanish Nature is known throughout the birding world.

Responsible Tourism

Working in various countries we pay particular attention to details such as using local companies, local guides and wherever possible local produce. In Morocco we are introducing an educational programme to local schools focusing on nature and we are also helping cooperatives whose aim is to improve the quality of life for marginalized women and children.